SCVP News
This page includes wildlife sightings, forest conditions, the current Tucson weather forecast, and other important news that you may find useful. It is up-dated frequently so that information remains current.
Important News from the Forest Service
There has been much concern recently about service, comfort and medical necessity dogs at Sabino Canyon. Here is Stan Helin's policy for your use and implementation, sent Tuesday, February 14, 2012.
Hi all, I want to put some relief into the stressful situation many of us face here at Sabino when visitors bring unidentified dogs into the canyon. I realize the conflict we have when our websites says that dogs must be identified and that we also now must be cautious about medical conditions of the public resulting from HIPPA.
.......... so the following is what I expect and you should consider as my direction:
When a visitor brings a dog into the VIC and identifies it verbally to us as a handidog, service dog or comfort dog, then that is SUFFICIENT for me to allow them into the canyon. If we confront them in the canyon, and they respond verbally it is such, that is also sufficient for me. Each encounter is a chance for us to let these visitors know it would be easier for all of us if they considered identifying their dogs as such, but I don’t want any of us to press this issue. I realize that other visitors in the canyon, shuttle drivers, and our volunteer patrol will be making comments to them that dogs are not allowed and if this upsets these visitors with dogs, please offer them a complaint form and tell them that we are very aware of their concerns and have no way of influencing that part of their experience in the canyon if they choose not to identify their dogs. When other visitors come into the VIC or contact us in the canyon who are complaining about these visitors with service dogs, please hand them a complaint form as well and say we are aware of their concerns and are studying the problem.
I realize that during busy times, visitors may "catch on" to this and claim that any pet is a "comfort pet" and we may see increase in pets. Until we get better direction from substantial research, we are not in a position to require people to do anything more than verbally assure us that their pets meet the criteria. It will matter for us to start record keeping of complaint forms, so I asked Diane to revise the complaint form, and we should encourage anyone to fill it out. We will work towards a consistent solution when we have enough data, time, and personnel to completely understand all the conditions
I will make sure that when we have our new Rec Staff in place and a permanent VIC manager staff in place, that we will begin a process to accurately analyze and depict our protocals. It will require that we run our decisions through the RO so that we are consistent with other forests in R3 and we will also run it by OGC for input as well. It will require that much effort when we have staff to complete it.
I want to hold off on modifying any of our signs at this time also. So leave signs as they are.
Do your best to de-escalate every situation. If you personally feel unsafe with anyone acting irate or causing an unsafe situation for the public then call our LEOs or Pima County Sheriff like we would with any other such situation. Also, please feel free to disengage from anyone, and simply hand them the complaint form.
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A Coatii was spotted just off the main road just past bridge 6... east of the creek, on Monday February 6 at about 5:30 pm.
Josh Taiz, Forest Service District Wildlife Biologist, reports that consistent if not frequent mountain lion sightings have continued. With first sightings during December, another 4-5 sightings of a female lion and three kittens occurred in the last month. A specific sighting occurred on January 28 on the Phoneline trailjust south of the split to Blacketts Ridge, when a lion was chasing a deer. Continued vigilance from all visitors and a knowledge of actions to take upon an encounter are important. Information and a pamphlet on lion encounters are available at the Visitors Center. All encounters should be reported promptly to Josh or to the front desk at the Visitors Center.
From: Pratt, Larry -FS Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 12:29 PM
Subject: Safety Message
Recently a volunteer for the Santa Catalina Ranger District was injured in a tripping accident outside the visitor center. Several brick pavers near a tree well in the plaza had been lifted by a tree root and as the volunteer walked by their foot caught and they took a hard fall. Subsequent investigation indicates that the issue with pavers and tree roots is not new and that this hazard may have already been known but gone unreported.
This is a reminder that in our Safety Journey we are all responsible to each other and the public to recognize and report potential safety hazards in everything we undertake. There are processes in place to evaluate hazards and make corrections or mitigations in order to avoid potential injury to anyone - employee, volunteer or visitor. Reporting is the first step in evaluating the hazard and we all need to be aware of how seemingly safe and placid locations like the plaza can harbor hazards. Elevated paving edges are one. Low hanging tree limbs or stones on pathways are another. The key to safety is making your observations of even commonplace maintenance items known to others.
Please take a moment to look around the surroundings you routinely work in to see if you can identify anything you think might be a safety hazard and accident potential. Then work with your supervisor, Kens Simons, Rodgers Wright (safety officer), or Stan and Sylvia to get an assessment started. Don't take it for granted that "commonplace" automatically means safe!
Meetings and Notices
The annual Music in the Canyon program, will be held on Sunday, March 4 from Noon to 4:00 pm. Volunteers from SCVP are needed. See this website: http://sabinocanyon.org/event.htm.
The Coronado Partner parking passes for 2012 are now available. Please contact Dick Dobrin jaddob@msn.com to arrange to pick up your pass, which provides parking priviledges at Sabino Canyon and at the trailheads on Mount Lemmon.
The e-mail address for SCVP has been updated to scvolunteerpatrol@gmail.com. If your personal e-mail address changes, please make sure to send the change to the above address.
Jim Barnett Vice President
The last Board meeting was held on December 14, to select the candidates for next years class of SCVP volunteers, who will attend training in February, 2012. Minutes from this meeting will be available on the Members Only page.
The Canyon Chronicle
The SCVP newsletter, The Canyon Chronicle, is published monthly during the season. It may not be published during the hot summer months. You can read and/or print the latest issue, as well other recent additions by clicking on the dates below.
| Feb 2012| Jan 2012 | Dec 2011 | Nov 2011 | Oct 2011 | Sep 2011 | May 2011 | Apr 2011 | Mar 2011 |
The newsletters are in pdf format for easy viewing and/or printing.